Some are hailing the presence of the federal government in Missouri as necessary in order to ensure justice prevails where a teenager was fatally shot by a police officer.

Michael Higginbotham, a University of Baltimore law professor and author of "The Ghosts of Jim Crow," said President Barack Obama is making the right move by sending the chief law enforcement officer of the federal government, Attorney General Eric Holder, to Ferguson, Missouri.

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"This is not a black and white thing. This is about American justice and American dignity," Higginbotham said. "The local investigation may be more thorough, may be more efficient and may be expedited because of the attorney general and a federal investigation."

Maryland U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-District 7, also said sending Holder was the right move.

"Eric Holder, the Department of Justice and the FBI will give people at least a sense, no matter what the result will be in the end if there is a trial or not, that it has been done properly and fairly in a transparent way," Cummings said.

The local and state investigation is to determine if a murder took place. The federal investigation will look into whether there were civil rights violations. Higginbotham said it's important that local and federal officials get this investigation right.

"The world is watching America on this one. It's really important for us to demonstrate what American democracy is all about and it can't just be about the absence of violence at night. It must also be about the presence of justice during the day time," Higginbotham said.